Medical Tourism in Colombia

Colombia, situated at the top of South America, has coastlines both on the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Make Colombia your choice for medical tourism and spend a few weeks here.  It has rich culture and the weather is amazing year round.

Benefits of Medical Tourism in Colombia

The popularity of plastic surgery has turned Colombia into an international medical tourism destination for elective surgeries.  The most recent data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery  – ISAPS  (from 2017) ranks Colombia seventh in world for these types of procedures.  The top five list includes in order, the USA, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Italy.  In 2017, Colombia was ranked #7 with a recorded 687,720 of these surgeries.

Medical Tourism in Colombia is not new. The government has been promoting the country as a top notched destination for cosmetic surgery and dentistry for several years, all at a reduced cost.  Colombia continues to improve it’s security and medical tourism in Colombia will continue to grow and attract more international attention as health costs continue to climb in the US and Canada.

The most popular surgical procedures in Colombia are liposuction, breast augmentation, blepharoplasty and abdominoplasty. The most popular non-surgical procedures are Botax and Hyaluronic Acid injections.

The main hospitals for medical tourism in Colombia are in Bogota and Medellin.  Medellin is known for superior laser eye surgery, dentistry and cosmetic surgery.  Bogota favours cardiology.

Business publication America Economia site that Medellin had 9 of the top 43 hospitals and clinics in Latin America.

Originally Colombians living overseas were the initial clients. Now many foreigners are discovering the benefits of having their surgeries in Colombia where the costs are much less yet there are highly qualified and skilled surgeons. The top 5 countries visiting Colombia for medical tourism are from the U.S., Spain, Germany, the Caribbean and Canada. This sees 25,000 – 35,000 annual visitors into Colombia each year.

This aesthetic tourism has begun to emerge as a serious business in cities like Bogota , Cali , Medellin and Barranquilla.

Plastic surgery not only creates income for Colombia from medical treatments and all of the other associated necessities of medical tourism, it also generates patients seeking other treatments such as dentistry, cosmetic facial surgery and  ophthalmology correction of eye defects.

According to Proexport, the government agency that promotes international business and tourism , foreign investment and non-traditional exports over a period of the last five years has seen health tourism grow 0.4 percent to 0.8 percent , representing earnings of approximately $ 140 million  USD.

Benefits Of Medical Tourism In Colombia

The difference in costs are noticeable. There have been thousands of people who have left their home town to search out low cost, high quality medical services in other countries.  Where the difference in the cost of a dental crown might be $700.00 – $800.00 USD .  Heart surgery that might cost upwards of $286,000 USD  in the US may be as little as $26,000 USD in Colombia. In Colombia you can find the same quality of service – or better with a much more caring approach.

For more information on medical tourism in Colombia or South Korea, please contact our office HERE

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